Jan. 28, 2006

Box Score

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team held the lead for all but a combined 2:58 in Saturday's game in the Sewall Center on the campus of Robert Morris University. Despite 16-point performances by sophomore forward Jennifer Walkling and senior guard Krissy Suckow, the Knights were edged in the final minute of play, 68-65.

FDU (4-12, 1-7 NEC) opened the game on a 4-0 run, following lay-ins by sophomore guard Shanay Freeman and junior guard Gayle Coats.

Robert Morris (11-6, 7-1 NEC) quickly responded, netting five-straight points, led by junior guard Natasha Summerville punctuating the run by canning a three-pointer. Fairleigh Dickinson's Suckow answered with a three-ball of her own, as the Knights went on a 5-0 spurt, pushing their lead to 9-4.

The Colonials knotted the game at 15-15 following a lay-up by senior forward Tess Cooley at 11:05. Fairleigh Dickinson immediately fired back, as sophomore guard Megan Kirkland grabbed an offensive rebound and popped a jumper in the lane to retake the lead at 17-15. On FDU's next possession, Kirkland, who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, drove the lane for a lay-in, pushing the margin to 19-15.

At 4:54, Walkling ripped down an offensive board, converting the put-back to earn the Knights' their largest lead during the opening 20 minutes at 28-23. The sophomore battled down low, tallying 10 points in the first-half, converting 4-of-6 opportunities at the charity stripe. The 6-foot forward notched her second-straight double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

At halftime, Fairleigh Dickinson held a 35-31 lead, fueled by a 48.3 percent shooting percentage, in addition to out-rebounding RMU, 25-23.

Freeman drained a long deuce on the baseline to open FDU's scoring in the second-half, en route to posting 12 points and eight rebounds. However, Robert Morris pressed on to close the gap to 41-40 after junior guard Natasha Summerville's trey at 15:28.

The Knights went on an 11-4 surge in a 3:54 interval, sparked by four field goals in five-consecutive possessions. Suckow, who played all 40 minutes, converted old-fashioned three-point play at 15:03 to begin the offensive outburst which ended with Fairleigh Dickinson holding a 52-44 advantage.

Cooley hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:43 remaining, as the Colonials took their first lead since 16:46 in the first-half, at 62-61. Suckow followed her own miss at the 1:42 mark, grabbed the rebound, and dropped in a lay-up to regain the lead at 63-62.

Senior guard DeSheyna Perry swiped a pass and converted a lay-up with 50 seconds remaining, shifting RMU ahead until the final buzzer.

"It's a heart-breaking loss," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "We did everything right, but come out on the right side of the scoreboard. It was a great effort, but we just came up short in the end - turnovers and missed foul shots cost us."

The Knights travel to St. Francis (PA) on Monday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m.